Landscape Business

Arboriculture

The Society of Municipal Arborists ( SMA ) has named blue jacaranda ( Jacaranda mimosifolia ) its 2023 Urban Tree of the Year . Spin the globe , and at the right time of year , you ’ ll find blue jacaranda lighting up streets and parks with its blue-purple flower panicles in every subtropical or warm climate , including regions within Australia , Myanmar , India , South Africa , Spain , Chile , and the United States . Even climates with an occasional light frost may support blue jacaranda trees .

Though its distribution as a cultivated tree is vast , blue jacaranda ’ s native range is limited to southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina . As is often the case for trees occurring in such a narrow range , the native blue jacaranda population in these South American pockets is considered vulnerable .

It should be noted that in some of the same places where jacaranda is celebrated ( parts of Queensland , Australia and in Pretoria , South Africa , for example ), there have been concerns about jacaranda ’ s invasiveness and displacement of native plants in those regions . In such places , municipalities have had to strike a balance between those concerns and the powerful public affinity for the showy tree .

Sitara Gare is the planning project arboriculture coordinator for Brisbane City Council , Australia , and a jacaranda fan . “ Here in subtropical Brisbane , jacaranda is tolerant of periodic drought ,” she said . “ It is often planted as a park feature tree in avenues or groups due to its iconic showy carpet of lilac-blue , trumpet-shaped flowers that drop in November before it grows its new leaves . The flowering period is only up to three weeks every year , but it proves a stunning spectacle .”

According to Gare , the mature height of jacaranda in Brisbane can vary depending on the site conditions , from as small as 30 feet up to 82 feet . Its success as

All photos courtesy Runa Leo , @ treesofbarcelona

26 OPE Business March 2023 www . OPEBusiness . com